Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy 8.9-inch Tablet [Video]

Nothing has created the buzz that Android-based tablets have over the past few months. With new offerings springing up all over the place, only Motorola’s Xoom and the original Galaxy Tab have really flipped people’s hair up.

Walking the floor at CTIA , it’s hard to miss Samsung ‘s booth. Not only is it one of the largest, sleekest ones at the conference, it’s also one of the most crowded. Why? Because everybody is clamoring to get their hands onto the new 8.9-inch and 10-inch Galaxy Tabs.

It wouldn’t be mobile coverage if we didn’t talk about every aspect, and tablets are taking mobile by storm. While I loved the form factor of the original, 7-inch Galaxy Tab, I wasn’t so shot in the tail with its performance. The same holds true, somewhat, for the new 8.9-inch, but it’s notably better than the previous offering.

First off, it’s worth noting that the new Tab feels a world better in your hands than the previous one did. While the early version of the Tab held the same feeling to the back as the Galaxy S line of phones, there’s a textured back to the new line and it’s remarkably good.

Performance on the 8.9-inch tab isn’t stellar, but it’s very good. With the dual-core 1GHz processor, I’d have expected better, and I actually saw better performance out of the Xoom than I did with the Galaxy. Still, if you’re a fan of Samsung products, you’re going to flip over the new tab. It really is that perfect marriage of size and usability, even more so than what I felt with the 7-inch version.

Using the tab, you’ll notice that there’s a new version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. It’s not overly heavy, but I have to wonder if it’s the reason why there’s a notable difference in the speed between the Tab and the Xoom. Moto’s overlay might simply be coded better.

There are only WiFi versions, for now, which Samsung is promising to ship later this summer (I overheard both June and July dates). The pricing? $499 for the 16 gig, $599 for the 32 gig.

Did Apple just get its first real contendor for the tablet market? We’ll have to wait and see. At any rate, the new 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab is ranking high in my books, and that from someone who’s admittedly not an Android tablet fan.

The Motorola Xoom gets a leaked price point — $800.

Man, that’s one pricey Android tablet! But wait, it’s not, really. First off, we need to be reminded of how incredibly sexy the Xoom has the potential to be. I say potential because right now it’s vaporware. If it’s not shipping with Android 3.0, then it might as well not exist. Android 2.x tablets are in the past and the future is actually making Android-based tablets look good.

And according to some sources , that look is going to garner Moto sales in the range of 800,000 units. That is, of course, until they find out the price. According to Engadget , the pricing for the Xoom via Verizon has leaked. The 3G Android tablet du jour will set you back a hefty $800. But is that really so crazy? Not especially.

Now bear in mind that this is the MAP, or minimum advertised price. That doesn’t clarify whether or not Verizon will require a 3G contract with the Xoom. Regardless, if you compare it to the 3G version of the iPad (which you still can’t buy directly from Verizon, mind you), the pricing is right on par. Oh, and the Xoom is rumored to launch with LTE. That’s a huge difference for a device that’s intended to consume media rather than make phone calls.

We’re high up on the list to get our hands on a Xoom as soon as it shifts from vapor to real life. For now, we’ll sit and drool over it, just as you will.

Sony Ericsson “Vivaz 2” MT15i gets reviewed, a new mid-range Android bestseller?

We can’t profess to knowing much about the new Sony Ericsson MT15i (also currently known as the Vivaz 2) but that doesn’t mean enterprising smartphone god Eldar Murtazin isn’t able to get his hands on the device and allow one of his colleagues to give it a complete review .

The MT15i looks to be another unconfirmed Sony Ericsson handset that fits into desirable and high-powered category. The device is likely to place itself the mid-range Android smartphone market, providing excellent company to the much-publicised Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and the soon-to-be-announced Xperia Play (or we all know it, the PlayStation Phone ).

The device itself has a 854 x 480 resolution “Reality Display” screen, technology that takes the game to Samsung with its AMOLED screens and Apple’s Retina Display, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7630 with Adreno 205 graphics, 512MB RAM, as well as a 1500mAh battery.

The MT15i is going to be Gingerbread powered, providing the latest Google smartphone advances inside its operating system.

The device looks set for a Mobile World Congress unveiling (what phone isn’t at the moment?) and has been given a tentative April 2011 release date. The MT15i has been labelled with a €350 price tag although we are going to wait on official confirmation before reading any further into the finer details.

The full review can be found here .